The Caged Bird
by Nudist.on.the.beach
Summary: As a child, Myra was tormented by many of the children of La Push, specifically Leah, Paul and Jared. When Myra's mother is in a terrible accident, she is forced to return to the town she vowed to never return to in order to care for her injured mother. Can Myra get passed what happened to her in the past or will she forever be tormented by a certain pack of men. PaulXoc
1. Prologue

**Summary : In the fifth grade, Myra Parkinson was harshly ridiculed by many of her peers in La Push elementary school, specifically Leah Clearwater, Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron. When Myra's mother is in a terrible accident, she is forced by her conscience to return to the town she vowed to never return to in order to care for her injured mother that she blamed for her problems. Can Myra get passed what happened to her in the past and give forgiveness or will she forever be tormented by a certain pack of men. PaulXoc**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stephanie Meyer's stuff.**

**Here is a new story, I haven't written a story in what feels like ages, so forgive me if it is not up to par. All reviews are accepted, especially _constructive_ criticism, it's nice to hear tips, pros and cons. Enjoy :)**

_There were many times when I was a child that I wished I could have just disappeared even though I was already invisible. Something about not being included in anything made you feel like you were still around in the side lines, waiting for others to get bored with their fulfilling lives. The reason for my existence for so long felt like it was for everyone's appeasement, all but my own._

_Since my mother had a hard time settling down in our new home in La Push I was absent the first two weeks of school. When I arrived a couple weeks in, the children had already become acquainted which left me separate from the other fifth graders. When I was introduced some of the students laughed, but the teacher pulled me aside to say they were a year older and held back because they are foolish. Foolish is what they were._

_The trouble began during recess when I attempted to make friends with the kids in my class, but was slapped harder in the face than ever before. Physically, I was not actually hit, but my heart and every ounce of self confidence I ever had was taken away from me by these kid's words. "Get the hell out of here you little whore." A small girl giggled, receiving a "good job" from their older peer who likely told the girl to say that. _

_Why would any of the kids say that? I didn't even know exactly what that was in the first place, and how could I be one? "Just like your mom." The boy in front of me was in my class, he was one of the boys that was held back a grade. "My dad told me what your mom does and we all know."_

_Tears were forming in my eyes, but I held them back even though my throat was tight and burning. "What do you mean?" The sentence barely escaped my lips. _

"_She's a stripper, and you'll be just like her!" The other boy by the first boy said, laughing together, the two highfived each other as if what they said was cool. Their comment received plenty of laughter throughout the crowd of kids. "My dad said she has sex with lot of men for more money." The crowd behind the boys and one girl was going wild with laughter and entertainment from my torment, each of them spitting out insults whenever they could think of any. _

"_Were you late because she was busy with other men?" The first boy to insult me pushed me, causing me to tumble backwards and land on my butt. "No one wants to play with you, so don't try."_

_I sat on the ground staring into his harsh brown eyes, he didn't blink while staring back into my teary blue ones. "Nice one, Paul." The second boy punched Paul in the shoulder as the entire group walked away from me. It was like a terrible hurricane had hit me, or a tsunami wave woke me up and brought me to life somewhere else, somewhere that couldn't be the least bit good. When the school bell rang...it was loud, why was it so loud?_

The ringing sound belonged to the plane light coming on for landing. La Push was a place I never wanted to return to, not even to visit my mother in fears I would have to confront everyone who tormented me for two years. I was able to get out of La Push and move into Canada with my father, who I did not know very well at the time.

My only reason for returning was my mother, she was in an accident. She happened to be in the car with her boyfriend of the time, who was driving, and he drove off the side of the road, flipping the car multiple times. Not much information was given to me about the accident, but the doctor told me on the phone she is lucky to be alive and she would be even luckier to pull through. In thoughts that my only mom might die La Push is where I went.

The airport in Seattle was packed, so many people pushing and shoving to get to their bags but don't realize they are getting no where but frustrated. I would have bought a ticket for a closer airport if I didn't buy the first ticket I saw, the result of that mistake was having to catch a four hour ride back to La Push with a hospital nurse.

After too long of a wait, my bag arrived and I found the nurse who was supposed to be driving me back to La Push. "What is your name?" The nurse asked from the drivers seat as she drove down the road. There had been thirty minutes of silence between the two before the nurse actually decided to speak.

"You already know my name." I gave her a weird look because she had a piece of cardboard with my name written on it.

"Yeah, but we never formally introduced ourselves!" She exclaimed, "I'm Jessica and I was born in Forks."

"Forks? My mom is at Forks Hospital?" This struck me as odd because I always remember going into the clinic with my mom in La Push, she liked how small and cute it was. "Just tell me your name!" Jessica whined, looking at me exasperated.

"Uh, alright," I laughed softly before finally formally introducing myself, "I'm Myra Parkinson, and I was born in Aberdeen."

"Aberdeen, really? Have you traveled around a lot?" She asked, genuinely interested in my life.

The thought made me smile to myself, once I moved to Canada with my father I requested that he home school me. The idea was out of the question to him, so we made an agreement that I could do home school when I became a certain age, and I did to his dismay. I never really had the chance to get close to anyone, "Not particularly, I used to live in La Push."

"My friends and I used to go surfing down there, but it gets ridiculously cold some days." Jessica snickered to herself as she watched the road, "There has been sightings of wolves in the forest though, so you should probably avoid going in there."

A shiver went up my spine. My dad always talked about knowing people who got in all these accidents, part of me thought that this was just a way of letting me know when something is dangerous, like wolves are cute but they kill people in packs. Lethal. "Thanks for the heads up." Once we were far enough from Seattle, the surroundings become much more beautiful and made me want to paint. Painting was something that I had always loved, "Do you have any hobbies?" I asked Jessica, continuing our conversation.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed and began rambling on about all of the stuff that she enjoyed doing. Who would have thought that all of that connecting with a person could make four hours seem like a couple minutes. Arriving in Forks was nice because I didn't know anyone and there was no fear of seeing anyone who might recognize me and my similar features from when I was a child.

The long brown ringlets I had as a child remained there, usually contained in a bun, and my height was no taller than five foot four. "Are you ready to go and see you mom?" Jessica asked before she got out of the car. "Yeah, thank you for being nice."

"It isn't a problem! I enjoyed all of your company!" She laughed and gestured me to follow her.

All of the enjoyment of the car ride and bonding with another person made me forget the real reason why I was coming back to this area in the first place. Seeing the thin figure of my mother in the hospital bed was a heart breaking moment, especially when you realize you could have been there for her so much more than you truly were. A deep sigh escaped my nose as I rushed over to her side and hugged her. "Not to tight Myra!" Jessica informed me, "She isn't in the greatest shape."

Before I had a chance to speak, another voice cut me off, "That isn't anything to say to a patient's family in such a vulnerable state, Jessica." The doctor was an extremely gorgeous man, which shocked me.

He was bright, and just stood out among many people because of his pale skin, pale eyes, pale hair and even his teeth were extremely white, "How else would I say it?" Jessica asked confused at her mistake. "Simply just say, be gentle, she doesn't need to worry any more than she already is."

"It's fine," I paused, standing up on my two feet, meeting the eyes of the doctor after quickly staring at Jessica, "Really, I'd rather know she isn't doing so well."

"Considering the circumstances, your mother is doing extremely well for herself. She only hasn't woken up for more than an hour because her body needs rest, give her a couple more days before we start making any harsh conclusions."

The doctors words were soothing. She looked terrible with her casts and bandages on her body, it was hard to think she was doing well at all. "Jessica, if you would give me sometime with Ms. Parkinson." Without a second wasted, Jessica was out of the room and the doctor introduced himself. "I am Doctor Carlisle Cullen."

"Myra Parkinson." I replied out of respect.

"The main reason you are here is to take care of your mother when she is released from the hospital, or say goodbye, if the worst happens. As mentioned, her condition may be critical but it is great for the situation she had endeared, seeing as the man in the car with her died on impact. Her lawyer also wants to speak with you and left this card." I took the card from his fingers and was shocked at how cold they seemed to be at first touch.

Without another thought, I stared at the card and looked back at my mom. "You mean for the will, don't you?" I bit my lip nervously, it was normal to feel sadness in a situation such as this.

"Yes, you should make an appointment with the lawyer." Doctor Carlisle gave me an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Myra, but it is only for the worst case scenario."

The doctor left the room and I sat down on the chair next to my mom's bed. Another sigh escaped me, this has been a long day and now I have to go home to my mom's home without her. "Please wake up." I whispered, kissing her forehead and leaned back to stare at her emotionless face.

There were bandages around the top half of her forehead, and her hair was pulled into a tight bun to be kept out of her face. I wonder if they performed any surgeries on her, "Myra, are you alright?" The voice to pull me out of my trance was Jessica and she had her keys in her hands.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I answered shortly, not wanting to talk at this time. Jessica leaned up against the door pain and started at my mother with a sorrow filled stare that radiated back to me. It is nice to have a person in the hospital that cares for the patients well being, and although Jessica seemed ditsy, she seemed very passionate about helping the people in the hospital.

I stood up and made eye contact with her, she was a few inches taller than I was but from across the room seeing her eye to eye was easy. I grabbed my handbag and followed Jessica as she lead me out of the room, "The car I have been driving is your mom's car." Jessica said, "So, if you have your license I can give you the keys but you have to set up the insurance and the house keys are also on the ringlet. I set up the GPS system in there for you."

"You're not taking me back?" I was a bit surprised, but I shouldn't be since it was Jessica's job to work for the hospital, not my caretaker. "You're going to be okay." She smiled, handing me the keys.

I nodded my head, she didn't know anything about my past. It was quite terrifying for me to face the people who tormented me in any way they could until I escaped this brutal hellhole. "I always am." I commented and got into the car without another word, heading towards my childhood home.


	2. I Saw Your Face

**A/N Sorry about the wait, I am pretty busy with school and life. Just so everyone knows, Myra never dealt with her problems. She kind of just brushes them aside or buries them in her mind, which is why she is so out of it. I apologize if the story isn't to everyone's likings, but I'd love to hear the feed back from everyone who likes or doesn't like that story. Review please :)**

* * *

_If it was not for my mother's gentle personality, perhaps my reactions would have been different. Maybe if she was a different person, and I was raised different I would have punched those kids out, but I wasn't and I didn't. I was raised to accept others for who they are, my mother would always say "things are rough all around." _

_In the beginning, I did not mention school, not the first day. Not the second, third or fourth. Usually, I excelled in school but she got the hint that I did not like school. "Myra, is everything alright?" My mother asked one night from the kitchen where she was cooking._

_She was getting soup ready for me, she had to go to work. My gaze met her blue eyes, but not for long. I did love my mom, but is this the only way she could provide for us? People always said I was just like her, so am I going to entertain men naked for money too? "Myra Jane Parkinson!" Her voice is stern this time, and when our eyes meet again I can see the determination in her expression. My eyes could not leave her gaze. _

"_I went in to speak with your teacher today." She continued when I didn't reply. "She said that you stand off against the wall during recess, and during lunch you try to stay indoors... I thought you loved running and playing with the children?" Her big blue eyes were full of worry now, her foot slightly stepped towards me and her hand on her heart. She was hurt, but so was I._

"_The children at school don't want to play with me because they say you're a stripper." The smell of burnt soup filled the kitchen and dining room area, but I didn't say another word until my mother ran her hand through her nicely done hair, "They said I'm a whore." Looking back, I know that my mother had a loss of words. Who wouldn't? My mother had her eleven year old daughter come back from school almost a completely different person because of her job. I don't blame her, but back then I did. Back then, I blamed her for a lot._

_She hugged me gently for a couple minutes, telling me everything was going to be okay and she would talk to my teacher. That wasn't what I wanted her to do, but it was hopeless trying to change her mind. It wasn't long before she had to leave, and I was alone in our new house for the night, again. The next morning she kept me from school because she wanted the teacher to "inform the other children of their rude behaviour" and I thought it would work, even though I would rather move to my old house. The following day, I still did not wish to return to the school, but my mother forced me to. Everything was good when the teachers were around, but the confrontation on made things much worse._

* * *

With a loud gasp, I sprung out of my bed, gripping my hair, then my chest to realize where I was and what year it was. It was only a dream, but they always feel so real. My hands went back to my curly brown hair to gently move it out of my eyes and peel the wet hairs from my sweaty forehead. The day after my mom called in to the teacher, the girls pretended to be my friend. They were playing hair dresser, I was the one who got that crappy hair cut and got thrown out of the store. The thought made me shudder and I can't take my hands off my hair.

After realizing it was all a dream, I sat on my old childhood bed and look around the room. There was not much different about the room except there was more junk in boxes in here. She either didn't want to change my room around because she missed me or she just never got around to it, but I will pretend it was because she missed me. It took me a while to realize I did miss her, but I didn't miss La Push one bit. These nightmares that have been plaguing me only began since I've had to come back here. The fact that she was in Forks hospital was a relief. There was a smaller chance of running into people I went to school with, who knows if they would recognize me or even remember me.

Slowly but surely I woke up and got ready to start my day. There was not much food in the fridge which meant I would need to grab some food from the store and I also needed to make an appointment with the lawyer. "Hello?" Replied the person on the other end of the phone. "Hi, this is Myra Parkinson." I quickly answered after her response.

I was antsy, I did not want to speak on the phone with anyone. Being in La Push just seemed to be making me depressed, the house bringing back memories of my mother and childhood. I wanted my mother to come home so I could take care of her and leave when she was better. "Hello? Ms. Parkinson?" I heard the voice repeating my name in the phone. "Yeah, sorry," I sighed, "When could we meet to discuss the matters of my mother?"

"Today would be perfect, we could meet at the cafe, south of the local grocery store in La Push." The woman on the phone sounded like she was in a hurry. "That's great, what time?"

"How about at eleven?" I quickly said yes and hung up the phone. The fridge needed to be filled, going to the cafe would be a good idea for some breakfast and then going to the grocery store would be perfect. My eyes drifted over to the clock when I realized eleven o' clock was only thirty minutes from now. "Looks like I'm not taking a shower." I mumbled to myself, throwing my hair up into a hair tie as I walked up the stairs to get changed.

My wool sweater hung loose on my body, but my jeans hugged my legs and ass quite nicely. Personally, I don't believe in getting ready to go out anywhere unless it's a nice dinner or another special occasion. I hit the showers, throw my hair up and I am good to go. "Wow, you look so similar to your mother." This was the greeting from the lawyer.

"Thanks," I paused, plopping my buttocks in the booth in front of the lawyer. I didn't want to beat around the bush. I wanted to spend as much time with my mom as I could, "So what is the deal?"

"To the point, I like that." She grinned, looking at her cellphone. "I'm Ms. Carter, in case you were wondering. Anyway, this is just a precaution, obviously. There is that chance of your mother passing away, and in the death of her late husband, everything she has left him will also go to you."

"Husband? They weren't married." I was now staring the lawyer directly in the eyes, almost not wanting to hear what she had to say next.

Before she could reply the door to the cafe was flung open, causing the bells on the door to jingle louder than normal, "Clearwater, you better hurry up!" A man's voice shouted from behind the counter, in the kitchen.

Suddenly, there was a twisting sensation in my stomach and my blue eyes meeting with the tanned girl rushing to get behind the counter. The twists in my stomach made a loud gurgling sound and I quickly looked away from what appeared to be Leah Clearwater, one of those girls that ruined my hair and childhood. Clearing my mind and taking a deep breath would be the best way to handle this situation, but my body had a mind of its own, and so did my mind. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" The lawyer was waving her hand in front of my face. "I didn't know you weren't aware of their marriage."

I jerked my head away from her hand and stared at her with a scowl. My body now felt exhausted and in need for sleep, my appetite was gone and I had just decided on what I was going to order. Nothing sounded appetizing anymore. "Hi there, I'm Leah and I will be your server for the day, sorry about that wait. Have you decided what I can get for you?" Once more, my eyes met Leah's, only this time I knew this was the girl who tormented me.

As quick as my body could move, I was out of the cafe, knocking my glass over water over and nearly tripping while opening the door. Everyone could see me through the glass door, but I couldn't do this right now. I ran to the grocery store that was on the same block as the cafe and stood out front for a couple minutes.

Inside of the grocery store hasn't changed one bit, even the cashiers looked the same for the most part. Not wanting to deal with my feelings, I just silenced my thoughts and began to think of happy things like puppies and squirrels. While standing in line, I remained silent, and peered around the store until I found a couple women standing near the exit, "Come on! Paul!" The girl whined, then whispered something to the friend she was with. "Paul!" She screamed again.

My eyes followed her gaze until I saw a man who stood taller than six foot, but I couldn't quite tell from the distance. He was huge either way, not just in height, but his muscles were chiseled and defined. Even though it was freezing outside, Paul was sporting a tight black t-shirt that hugged his arms and nicely shaped body. He was too far for me to make out his facial features, but if I was correct, that was Paul Lahote, another person I didn't want to see. Although, he is nice to stare at, even if he was the reason for all that bullying. My eyes lids shut tight as I tried to come back to reality, and remove myself from the situation, knots were forming in my stomach again.

"How will you be paying Miss?" I heard the cashier's voice ring in my ears and I raised my eyes brows at her, slowly pulling out my wallet. She must think I'm a moron, everyone I've seen today must think I'm some kind of psycho who lives in her own world.

Handing the money to her, I looked back over at Paul and stared for a few seconds before adverting my gaze back to the women he knew. When I did, both of their eyes were on me. My gaze met the woman who was calling out to him, her friend whispering something in her ear and laughing quietly. A sigh escaped my lips as I took my change from the cashier and began throwing my items into a reusable bag. When everything was packed I looked back at the women, and they were still staring and smiling at me. I slowly walked towards the exit, adjusting my eyes ever so often so I was looking at them, then back to the floor, then back at them. I was nervous, what if everyone knew I was back and was going to harass me some more.

As quick as I was in there, I was out. I stood in front of the grocery store and stared at the cafe that my car was parked at. Well, my mother's car. "May as well start walking." I whispered to myself, making a small stride in the direction my car was in. "Hey!" I spun around on my heels and saw the two girls hanging off Paul's arms, one on each. "If you look at my boyfriend again, I'll personally take out your eyes."

I stared at her, then at the other girl and finally, against my will but I couldn't control myself, I looked at Paul. Everything seemed to stop at that moment, his stoic face seemed to become less tense and brighter than before. His lips parted, showing his pale white teeth against his dark, russet skin tone, he was a handsome man, and I was drawn to him. Paul jerked forward, both his arms free from the women on his arms and he must have stepped forward, but there was a loud sound that began piercing my ears. It was the horn of two cars that were stopped in the parking lot because I was standing in the middle of a driving area.

I stepped backwards a couple steps, tripping, but catching myself. My eyes met Paul's dark brown ones, and I stared, hard, turning into a harsh glare. A scowl sliding across my lips, without warning. A shiver went down my spine as Paul kept my gaze, I could see the confusion on the women's faces in my peripherals. The saliva builds up in my mouth as this point was sickening to me, it had to be from seeing Paul, although so handsome he made me think of my tormented past. I spit in front of me, still staring at Paul before quickly turning away and running towards my car without a word.

* * *

"Visiting hours are over Miss, you will have to leave." The woman at the front desk of Forks Hospital said. After my encounter at the grocery store I spent an hour driving to Forks and another hour just sitting in front of the hospital in my car, thinking. "Please, you don't understand, I was held up and I have to speak with Carlisle about my mother." I watched her walk away from the desk in silence.

I stood in the waiting room at the hospital, waiting for the woman to come back to the desk with Doctor Cullen, but instead it was some other woman. "She won't listen to me." She said to her, the supervisor gave me a dirty look. Just as she was going to speak, Jessica walked by and called my name. "I was wondering if you were coming today, come on, I'll take you to your mother."

Today simply was not my day. "She's awake." Let me take back that statement, this makes the day worth it now. A little bit more anyway. "Just let me know if you need anything." With that, Jessica left.

"Mom." I sat on the bed, I could feel her leg against my side and it was heartwarming. Earlier, I was so angry at her for not telling me about the marriage, but how could she have told me. We never spoke, and it was all my fault. "I'm sorry." I whispered.

"Honey, no." She spoke in a hushed, and raspy tone that broke my heart. "I didn't do what I should have in that situation. I had you deal with it alone."

Who would have thought that this area in the world would be the place where I felt all my pain. When I lived with my father, he always made sure things were alright and school was going fine. There were no kids that were schooled with me, because it was from home, but he made sure I did the work. My mother was just so busy and struggled so often. Her and I talked for five minutes before her heart monitor began going off. The nurses came in and told me that it was best if I let her rest for the remainder of the night. "I'm sorry, but maybe it's best if you go home and go to sleep." Jessica suggested, "It doesn't look like you've gotten much sleep."

I stared at her for about a minute before walking passed her and going to sit in my car. For the next ten minutes, I sat in the car staring into space. I flipped down the mirror and looked into it, a tear sliding down my cheek. With my hand, I slapped the mirror shut as more tears rolled down my cheeks. I cried for my mother, about everything that happened today. I just cried, like that baby I am.


End file.
